ProductWhores

Oooh, sales are the best!  I really, really wanted this Olivia Paleremo x Ciate London The Smouldering Eye Palette when I first saw it in stores, but I didn't buy it because it was $40 and I really didn't "need" it.  (Not that I actually need any makeup anymore, but you know...)  But now!  Now it's on sale on Sephora's website for only $19.50 and so it'll finally be mine. (Although once again, I must complain about Sephora's lack of free shipping for every purchase.  It just annoys me to pay shipping for anything at this point, but ESPECIALLY at Sephora, where I spend a lot of money.  I shouldn't have to spend $50 on their website to get free shipping.  Just a personal pet peeve of mine).  But I think this palette is just too good to pass up at this price, so I'll probably just suck it up and do it.  But I won't be happy about it!

Tons 'O Fun

You know what the problem with late night Sephora.com surfing is?  It just makes me want things.  Even more things than I normally do because there are brands online that I never see in the Sephora stores I visit in person.  And tonight, that very much includes Ciate's eyeshadow palettes.  I want them alllllll, but at the moment, The Fun Palette is definitely topping my list because it's insanely pretty.  Look at those top four shades!  Aren't they gorgeous?  I don't know if I could pull off the hot pink, but I would definitely attempt it, and the other three would definitely work with the bottom shades to make a less bold daytime look.  It's also not terribly expensive, at $35 for nine different shades.  I seriously need to see this one in person because I almost never buy makeup without seeing it first anymore (I've been burned too many times!) Now I just need to find a Sephora that carries Ciate shadows in store.  I'm thinking a trip to Santa Monica might be in order since I already know they carry the Christian Louboutin nail polishes.  (Or I could just call them and ask.  But what's the fun in a shopping trip that "needs" to happen then?)

Locked And Loaded

You know what I hadn't thought about in years until tonight? Lip products that have both lipstick AND gloss in one wand. Those things were the bomb back in the day and I had totally forgotten they existed.  And then I stumbled on a new version of them online from (of all brands) Ciate.  Weird, right?  And yet... I want both of the shades that they've released so far. It's just such a genius combination because if I'm wearing lipstick, I always want to be wearing gloss and vice versa, plus my bag is always SO heavy from the billion lip products I haul around with me, so this'll make me look good and save my back/shoulders from extra weight.  Genius!  Right now, the LIPS LOCKED TInt and Balm Lip Duo (that is a loooong name though) comes in two colors - In the 305 (berry) and SoBe (fuchsia) and they both look super pretty.  But I feel like they need more shades - I'd definitely buy red and nude versions of this formula.  I'm also glad that I stumbled on this today because I had no clue that Ciate made anything other than nail products and now I have even more stuff to add to my (constantly growing) wish list.  Yay...?  

Mini Manor

Even though I am in no way ready for the holiday season yet (it's barely October!  Can we stop with the Christmas decorations already?!) I am loving all the holiday gift sets that are already in stores.  It's hard not to want to buy them all for myself, honestly.  I literally have to stop myself from ordering the set above, Ciate's Mini Mani Manor every single day because nail polishes are the only thing I need less than lipstick at the moment.  But how can you not want to own this?  It's SO cute!  For $60, you get 24 different shades and textures (17 nail colors and various glitters and Texture Pots).  I love Ciate because they have tons of unique shades and the mini bottles are the best because they're easy to store and travel with.  (Plus, how cute is that packaging?  Adorable!)  You could even buy the set and divide it up and give a few as presents and keep some for yourself (you know, if there's a few specific shades you're really coveting...)  The description says you can create over 145 different nail looks with the set - that's a ton of combos to play around with.  I guess if I can get access to sets this fabulous, I can put up with the mall Santa being out before the trick or treaters... 

Light Your Lashes

Okay, is it weird that I kinda want to buy this?  I really haven't played around with brightly colored mascara in a long time, but I don't know - something about these LashLights just looks fun.  They're available in six colors - Electric (blue), Serene (purple), Famous (pink), Surreal (Aqua), Nightingale (navy blue) and Nymph (green) and are meant to be applied to your lash tips over your regular mascara.  I probably wouldn't wear them to work or a meeting or anything "serious," but wouldn't they be fun for a night out?  Plus, my seventh grade self would be super happy that I could wear something like this every day.  Now if only Maybelline could bring their Kissing Coolers back... 

Shell Of A Good Time

I've been trying to stay away from Sephora lately because I can't really buy anything right now and it's way too hard to look and not take stuff home.  I'm shallow like that.  But yesterday I had to pick up something at the mall and if you think I can find myself standing five feet from the entrance and not actually going in, well, you don't know me very well at all. It was like a magnetic pull towards the front displays.  I was powerless to resist!  And out of everything I saw in there, the one thing I really, really (really!) wished I could walk out with was Ciate's new Shell Manicure.  It's the coolest looking textured nail ever with crushed shells that you wear on top of the polish (either on all your nails or on just one as an accent nail).  It's available in three shades - Wish Upon a Starfish (a holographic white), She Sells Seashells (a pink multicoloured) and Mermaid You Look (a pretty purple).  I'm not normally a huge fan of purple shades, but I LOVE this one.  It's almost got a grey tint to it so it looks a little neutral and you could definitely wear it to the office if you wanted.  I have a sneaking suspicion that it wouldn't last all that long on your fingers as an every day manicure because the shells seem like they would probably pop off easily, but when it looks that cool, I almost can't bring myself to care.  I kind of just want to own it for the next special occasion I dress up for - wouldn't it be a great accessory for your favorite LBD?  I seriously need this.  Immediately.  Quick, someone give me a reason $25 isn't too much to spend!

Chalkboard Manicure

Okay, I'm very intrigued by this new Chalkboard Manicure from Ciate.  It could be really cool... or super ugly, and I can't decide if it's worth spending the $25 to decide which It is.  Basically, you put on the matte black polish, then use the Chalk Pens to draw on your nails and create whatever kind of design you want.  The Chalk Pens are water soluble, so you can easily wash the designs away until you get exactly what you want.  Then you just seal it with the Mattnificent top coat to keep it until you're ready to take it off and do it all over again.  It's a great idea and if I had more faith in my ability to draw designs that didn't look like a kindergartner did them, I'd probably rush out and buy it immediately, but I just don't know if I'm that talented at nail art.  (Actually, I do know.  I'm not).  But still, it's such a cool idea that I really want someone to buy it for me so I can fool around with it guilt-free.  Has anyone tried this yet?  Was it worth the cash?  Someone clue me in... 

It's Mini Mani Month!

I used to hate mini bottles of nail polish, but over the past couple of years, they've really grown on me.  Because let's face it, how many regular-sized bottles do you ever really use all the way through?  Barely any, right?  So the mini ones just make sense.  (And they take up less room so you can store even more of your other products!)  So I have to get my hands on Ciate's new CAVIAR Mini Mani Month set.  Look at how bright and colorful it is!  The set costs $58 and comes with 20 small bottles of their Paint Pot Nail Polish, plus 4 bottles of their Caviar Pearls and a funnel to use the Pearls.  (It also has three glitter shades that are exclusive to this set, so you can't get them anywhere else).  I love the variety of shades in the set, plus I'm kinda dying to try the new Caviar Pearl colors.  I might have to pick this one up with my 20% V.I.B. discount at Sephora, which I'm currently trying to make a small list for (because I need NOTHING at all, but come on - 20% - how can you pass that up?!)  Any other suggestions for things I can't live without?   

A Velvet Stroke

Uch, you guys, I really cannot spend any more money on nail polish until I'm like, 50 (and that's being conservative) because I have WAY too much, but I really, really want to try the new Velvet Manicure from Ciaté.  I'm not normally one to do a manicure that involves more than one step because I'm lazy and have barely any free time as it is these days, so what little I do have kinda needs to be spent on the couch drinking wine and obsessively watching the I.D. Network so I'll know how to spot a crazy serial killer if I ever run across one in my neighborhood.  But... I'd even be willing to put in the time on this one to accomplish it because the finished product looks awesome.  The only thing is that the reviews on Sephora seem to be... not all that complimentary about how long the velvet part of the velvet manicure lasts, which is kinda disapppinting.  I mean, the Berry Poncho duo looks pretty enough that I would love the nail polish on its own, without the velvet on top, but I'm sure I could find a similar shade out there for less than $19 if that's all I wanted to do with it.  The velvet's the real attraction here.  Have any of you guys tried it yet?  Yay or nay?    

Caviar For Your Nails

Hhhm.  I don't know how I feel about this.  It could be really cute or it could be hideous.  I think I have to reserve judgement until I see it in person.  Ciate's Caviar Manicure is a two step process that was created in London and features a nail polish and a second "coat" with pearlescent beads that go over it for a 3-D effect.  I mean, it seems like it could be really cool for a night out, but I don't know that I'd want it on my nails on a daily basis.  Also, the system costs $25, which isn't outrageous considering how much some polishes are going for lately, but it isn't exactly cheap either.  It does intrigue me though, so if I get a chance to get my hands on it, I might have to test it out just to see. The money I spend to satisfy my curiosity...